Phase 7

Securing Internet Activity

The Internet is truly a great thing. It makes a huge amount of information instantly available. It also provides connectivity to near and distant sites and facilitates tasks like web browsing, email, and instant messaging. However, it is not without its dangers. It’s the source of most viruses and worms that organizations are faced with. Melissa, Code Red, Nimda, I Love You, and SQL Slammer are examples of viruses that were spread via the Internet. Internet users are also faced with all types of scams, phishing schemes, and malware that seek to lure them in or infect their computer.

For the security professional, this means configuring Internet access, securing email, and verifying the authenticity of the people we deal with through the Internet. This is accomplished by means of certificates. These are all important parts of the security professional’s daily duties.

The tasks in this phase map to Domains 1, 2, and 6 in the objectives in the CompTIA Security+ exam (www.comptia.org/certifications/listed/security.aspx).